Wireless digital networks, such as networks operating under the current Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards, are spreading in their popularity and availability. New generations of access points may include support for dual-ports. Specifically, an access point (AP) may be connected to an Ethernet switch via two or more alternative ports. In some cases, at least two ports are enabled with power over Ethernet (PoE) functionalities. Thus, the access point can draw power from either port.
Nonetheless, when an access point is physically connected to two or more PoE ports, it is nondeterministic which port the AP will draw its power from. Typically, the switch that the AP is connected to controls which devices can draw power from its PoE-enabled ports. The AP does not typically have the control over from which PoE port it will draw power from.
The lack of control by an AP to determine which PoE to draw power from can lead to some problematic scenarios. For example, it is possible that all APs in a WLAN system end up drawing power from one switch. In the event of a failure in the switch, all of the APs will be temporarily out of power, and thus causing disruption in WLAN services.